Research opportunities for students and postdocs
Graduate students
Prospective students may contact me to discuss funding opportunities through the JMU Biology Master's program and fellowships such as the NSF GRFP.
Thanks to a recent NSF award, the Reider lab has a new MS position available starting summer 2024!
Description
The lab of Dr. Kelsey Reider in the Biology Department at James Madison University is seeking to recruit a new M.S. student to study soil modification by animals following glacier retreat in the tropical high Andes. The successful candidate will develop research assessing the responses of soil biogeochemistry, plant and microbial communities, and/or use GIS and remote sensing to evaluate patterns of soil modification and animal activity.
The field-based position will require travel to Cusco, Peru for field work starting in May/June 2024 (prior to beginning the graduate program; travel dates are TBD). An alternative lab-based project will involve laboratory analysis of samples, and require advanced data management, statistical analysis in R, and GIS skills.
The graduate program begins in Fall 2024 and ends in Spring 2026. Tuition waivers are available on a competitive basis. A stipend of ~$13,000 for fall/spring semesters is available through a mentored teaching assistantship at JMU, and an additional summer research stipend will be paid in both summers from a grant. In addition, the grant provides funding for research supplies, travel to a conference, and international travel to the field site.
Qualifications
Prior research experience is preferred. Basic skills with data wrangling and analysis in R, and proficiency in both Spanish and English are strongly desired skills. The ideal candidate will also have some combination of the following (no one candidate is expected to have all these skills): experience working with a team under challenging field conditions, experience in remote and high-elevation settings, ability to construct and troubleshoot equipment including electrical components in a field setting, puna plant or terrestrial invertebrate identification, DNA sequencing, and/or land cover mapping using UAVs.
Instructions
The JMU deadline for full consideration is 1 February 2024, and interested applicants should contact Dr. Reider prior to submitting an application to JMU. To initiate the application process, please send the following to Dr. Kelsey Reider (reiderke@jmu.edu) with the subject line “JMU MS applicant” by late January 2024.
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Reider with any questions prior to assembling the requested materials.
The Reider Lab is committed to creating an inclusive, and supportive environment for trainees both as people and scientists. We will consider the whole applicant, and interested persons are welcome to discuss in the cover letter their various identities and their vision for mentorship and a community that will help them thrive during their time in graduate school.
The JMU Biology graduate program application requirements include three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a statement of professional goals. (https://www.jmu.edu/biology/graduate/index.shtml). Information for international applicants is located here: https://www.jmu.edu/grad/prospective/international/index.shtml
Undergraduate students
JMU undergraduates interested in research experience in my lab should email me to initiate a discussion about opportunities to earn research credit. Include the following information in your email: a short description of your interests and motivation to participate in research (1-2 paragraphs), a general sense of your availability, and the name/contact info of one person who can serve as a reference. I have several research-for-credit positions available to JMU students starting which include working on a team research project to test warming and cooling chambers, and validate model salamanders that we will deploy in several experiments in the summer in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Other undergraduate opportunities
As an undergraduate I participated in National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates programs at Stone Laboratory (Ohio State) and Konza Prairie Biological Station (Kansas State). These REUs provided an unparalleled opportunity to complete independent research and I strongly encourage students to apply to similar programs. I sometimes mentor undergraduate researchers outside of JMU through NSF REU programs at La Selva Biological Station and Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. I am currently participating as a mentor in the RMBL REU program and interested students should apply directly through RMBL (update: I will not be a RMBL REU mentor in 2023 but plan to return to the program in 2024). A full list of REU site programs can be found here: https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5047
Postdoctoral Research Associates
I encourage PhD candidates who will graduate in the next year and recent graduates to contact me if interested in working together on a postdoctoral fellowship proposal (i.e., from the Ford Foundation, NSF PRFB, or others) to collaborate on any aspect of my research program. Postdocs will find we have a dynamic, supportive, and inclusive lab and they will have opportunities to take an active role in mentoring graduate and undergraduate student researchers.
Prospective students may contact me to discuss funding opportunities through the JMU Biology Master's program and fellowships such as the NSF GRFP.
Thanks to a recent NSF award, the Reider lab has a new MS position available starting summer 2024!
Description
The lab of Dr. Kelsey Reider in the Biology Department at James Madison University is seeking to recruit a new M.S. student to study soil modification by animals following glacier retreat in the tropical high Andes. The successful candidate will develop research assessing the responses of soil biogeochemistry, plant and microbial communities, and/or use GIS and remote sensing to evaluate patterns of soil modification and animal activity.
The field-based position will require travel to Cusco, Peru for field work starting in May/June 2024 (prior to beginning the graduate program; travel dates are TBD). An alternative lab-based project will involve laboratory analysis of samples, and require advanced data management, statistical analysis in R, and GIS skills.
The graduate program begins in Fall 2024 and ends in Spring 2026. Tuition waivers are available on a competitive basis. A stipend of ~$13,000 for fall/spring semesters is available through a mentored teaching assistantship at JMU, and an additional summer research stipend will be paid in both summers from a grant. In addition, the grant provides funding for research supplies, travel to a conference, and international travel to the field site.
Qualifications
Prior research experience is preferred. Basic skills with data wrangling and analysis in R, and proficiency in both Spanish and English are strongly desired skills. The ideal candidate will also have some combination of the following (no one candidate is expected to have all these skills): experience working with a team under challenging field conditions, experience in remote and high-elevation settings, ability to construct and troubleshoot equipment including electrical components in a field setting, puna plant or terrestrial invertebrate identification, DNA sequencing, and/or land cover mapping using UAVs.
Instructions
The JMU deadline for full consideration is 1 February 2024, and interested applicants should contact Dr. Reider prior to submitting an application to JMU. To initiate the application process, please send the following to Dr. Kelsey Reider (reiderke@jmu.edu) with the subject line “JMU MS applicant” by late January 2024.
- Cover letter describing your interests, motivations, and qualifications for the position (max. 2 pages, please)
- Resume or CV with contact info for at least two references
- Undergraduate transcript (unofficial is acceptable)
- Writing sample, if available
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Reider with any questions prior to assembling the requested materials.
The Reider Lab is committed to creating an inclusive, and supportive environment for trainees both as people and scientists. We will consider the whole applicant, and interested persons are welcome to discuss in the cover letter their various identities and their vision for mentorship and a community that will help them thrive during their time in graduate school.
The JMU Biology graduate program application requirements include three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a statement of professional goals. (https://www.jmu.edu/biology/graduate/index.shtml). Information for international applicants is located here: https://www.jmu.edu/grad/prospective/international/index.shtml
Undergraduate students
JMU undergraduates interested in research experience in my lab should email me to initiate a discussion about opportunities to earn research credit. Include the following information in your email: a short description of your interests and motivation to participate in research (1-2 paragraphs), a general sense of your availability, and the name/contact info of one person who can serve as a reference. I have several research-for-credit positions available to JMU students starting which include working on a team research project to test warming and cooling chambers, and validate model salamanders that we will deploy in several experiments in the summer in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Other undergraduate opportunities
As an undergraduate I participated in National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates programs at Stone Laboratory (Ohio State) and Konza Prairie Biological Station (Kansas State). These REUs provided an unparalleled opportunity to complete independent research and I strongly encourage students to apply to similar programs. I sometimes mentor undergraduate researchers outside of JMU through NSF REU programs at La Selva Biological Station and Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. I am currently participating as a mentor in the RMBL REU program and interested students should apply directly through RMBL (update: I will not be a RMBL REU mentor in 2023 but plan to return to the program in 2024). A full list of REU site programs can be found here: https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5047
Postdoctoral Research Associates
I encourage PhD candidates who will graduate in the next year and recent graduates to contact me if interested in working together on a postdoctoral fellowship proposal (i.e., from the Ford Foundation, NSF PRFB, or others) to collaborate on any aspect of my research program. Postdocs will find we have a dynamic, supportive, and inclusive lab and they will have opportunities to take an active role in mentoring graduate and undergraduate student researchers.